Hundreds honoured in Wieambilla shooting bravery awards
Laine Clark |
The survivors of the Wieambilla shootings have taken centre stage as hundreds were honoured for their bravery shown during the tragedy and its aftermath.
Senior Constable Randall Kirk and Constable Keely Brough on Wednesday received Queensland Police’s top bravery award, more than three years after the fatal ambush.
The pair narrowly escaped after Constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, were gunned down by the Train family at the property west of Brisbane on December 12, 2022.
The conspiracy theorists later also shot down neighbour Alan Dare when he arrived to investigate.
The four junior officers had arrived at the property as part of a missing persons investigation, but were fired on within minutes by the Trains from hidden sniper positions.
Const Kirk shot back and retreated under fire, suffering a gunshot wound to his abdomen and hip.
Const Brough was able to reach nearby grass where she hid for more than two hours as she was hunted by the Trains who lit fires to smoke her out before she was rescued.
The Trains were killed hours later in a shootout with specialist police.
Sen Const Kirk and Const Brough both received the top Valour Medal at the Dalby ceremony.
“She maintained covert concealment, calmly providing continuous and accurate intelligence for over two hours,” Superintendent Douglas McDonald said of Const Brough at the ceremony.
Sen Const Kirk also collected the Blue Heart Medal, awarded to officers killed or severely injured while carrying out their duties during an incident.
“His actions directly informed tactical decision-making and enabled the safe extraction of his colleague and recovery of fallen officers,” Supt McDonald said.
The 12-strong extraction team which rescued Const Brough and retrieved the bodies of their fallen officers were also honoured with the Valour Medal.
Mr Dare’s neighbour Victor Lewis received the Bravery Medal for rendering immediate assistance to his friend despite the extreme risk and alerting emergency services, providing “critical information”.
Overall 292 awards were handed out to police, emergency services partners and members of the public for their actions during the shootings and its aftermath.
“While nothing can lessen the impact of what occurred, these awards stand as a lasting acknowledgement of service, of bravery and sacrifice – to all recipients, your actions matter,” Interim Police Commissioner Brett Pointing said.
The ceremony was attended by the families of Consts Arnold and McCrow.
Bravery awards were posthumously awarded to Consts Arnold and McCrow in 2022 and Mr Dare in 2023.
AAP